Pasture Aeration.

Final Report for FNE00-310

FNE00-310 (project overview)
Project Type: Farmer
Funds awarded in 2000: $600.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/2002
Region: Northeast
State: Pennsylvania
Project Leader:
Larry Lemmon
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Project Information

Summary:

Note to readers attached is the complete final report for FNE00-310.

Compaction and thatch are problems common in many dairy pastures, and can bring with them problems with runoff and forage production. This project will selectively aerate certain pastures and compare forage growth among all the pastures to measure the effect of aeration on pasture health.

Cooperators

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  • JB Harrold

Research

Research results and discussion:

This farmer had pastures that had developed a thick dense sod. He proposed to use a soil aerator to improve water penetration and improve forage production. He used a soil aerator from a local golf course on 12 of his 26 acres pasture. It was a solid point aerator rather than the soil plug type aerator that he would have preferred to use. Also, there was plentiful rainfall during this season. He believes that because of these two rather different factors there was no observable difference between the aerated and unaerated pastures.

Participation Summary
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Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.